She Returns
by Sylwithia
Summary: The Potter and Weasley children are at Hogwarts. Everything was fine until horrible things started to happen. Muggleborns and purebloods alike are being attacked. Who is behind it? James, Albus, Rose, Lily, Hugo, and Scorpius are determined to find out!
1. Platform Nine and Three Quarters

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A/N: First chapter is up. Sorry it's so short, I promise to make chapter two longer. Remember to review, and tell me about any spelling, punctuation, or grammar errors. Enjoy!

Summary: The Potter and Weasley children are at Hogwarts. Everything was fine until horrible things started to happen. Muggleborns and purebloods alike are being attacked. Who is behind it all? James, Albus, Rose, Lily, Hugo, and Scorpius are determined to find out!

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter One: Platform Nine and Three Quarters

Harry Potter kept a watchful eye on his daughter, eleven year old Lily Potter. She skipped merrily towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten, her green eyes smiling. Her long, red hair was tied up in a sleek ponytail. Following closely behind her were her older brothers, thirteen year old Albus Severus Potter and fourteen year old James Sirius Potter. James had brown eyes and messy, black hair while Albus had neat, shoulder length, auburn hair and twinkling blue eyes. Behind them were Harry and his wife, Ginny. They stopped about fifteen feet away from the barrier.

"James, you and Albus go first. Your mum and Lily will follow," Harry instructed.

Albus and James started running towards the barrier, pushing their trolleys. As soon as they reached the barrier, they vanished. Lily and Ginny soon followed, and they vanished too. Harry walked through the barrier and stopped, staring at the Hogwarts Express. That train carried him to some of the best years of his life.

"Dad, we're over here!"

Harry saw Lily waving him over. Standing with her was the rest of his family, and his two best friends, Ron and Hermione Weasley. Their two children, Rose and Hugo, were talking to Albus and James. Harry walked over and greeted them. Hermione said hello, but Ron was distracted. He was glaring at a blonde boy headed their way. Harry recognized him as Draco Malfoy's son, Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius tapped on Rose's shoulder and she turned around and grinned.

Scorpius!" she exclaimed as she gave him a hug. Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. Ron shut his mouth immediately and continued to glare at Scorpius.

"Mum, Dad, this is Scorpius. He's the friend I was telling you about last year," Rose said. Hermione smiled at him, but Ron said nothing.

"Scorpius, these are my parents," Rose continued, pointing at Ron and Hermione. "My dad looks like he hates you, but that's only because he didn't get along with your dad when they went to Hogwarts. That's my brother Hugo, he's a first year. Those two are Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry. That's Lily, my cousin. She's a first year along with Hugo. And you already know James and Albus," Rose finished, pointing everyone out.

Scorpius nodded and said, "Want to go find a compartment? The train's filling up fast."

"Yeah, let's go," she replied, and she grabbed her trunk and walked to the train with Scorpius.

"What a git," Ron muttered.

"Ron! He seems like a nice boy, why don't you give him a chance?" Hermione scolded.

"Because he's a Malfoy!"

"That doesn't make him a bad person!"

Harry let them continue on arguing, and he turned to Ginny

"We'd better get everyone on the train, it's going to leave soon," he said, gesturing to the children.

"James, Al, can you two get Lily and Hugo on the train?" she asked. Albus nodded obediently but James rolled his eyes as he grabbed his younger sister's hand.

"Don't forget the trunks!" Harry reminded them. With a wave of his wand and a few choice words, James enchanted the trunks so they floated behind him. Harry held Ginny's hand as they watched their children board the train.

"It never gets any easier watching them go, does it?" Harry said softly. Ginny just squeezed his hand.

Ron and Hermione had finished their argument and Ron had one arm around her waist. Hermione was waving at Rose, whose head was sticking out the window of her compartment.

"Bye Mum! Bye Dad! Bye Uncle Harry! Bye Auntie Ginny!" she called.

"We'll see you around Christmas!" Ron said. "Don't forget to write!"

"Take care of your brother!" Hermione reminded.

The train started to move. Rose gave one final wave before shutting the window. The two couples watched the train until it was out of sight.


	2. The Hogwarts Express

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A/N: Second chapter! It's a lot longer than chapter one. Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate it. Chapter three is in the works and will be up soon. I hope you like this chapter. By the way, Rose and Scorpius aren't a couple… Right now, they're just good friends.

From now on, I'll try to update every weekend, starting now.

Lisa creature I make no promises, though I never said they wouldn't be……..

Sarah Thanks!

Summary: The Potter and Weasley children are at Hogwarts. Everything was fine until horrible things started to happen. Muggleborns and purebloods alike are being attacked. Who is behind it all? James, Albus, Rose, Lily, Hugo, and Scorpius are determined to find out!

Disclaimer: All the characters, excluding Aston and Damian, belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Two: The Hogwarts Express

James dragged his little sister through the train, looking for an empty compartment. Albus followed behind him, holding Hugo's hand. When James found Rose's compartment, he scowled. He hated Scorpius.

"James, why don't we go in here? Everywhere is full, we won't find one to ourselves," Albus pointed out.

"No way Al, you know how I feel about that git. Let's find Fred."

Fred was their cousin. He is the son of their uncle, George.

They found Fred ten minutes later, deep in conversation with Aston Baldric. James slid open the door and stepped inside.

"Fred!" he said loudly. Fred looked up and grinned.

"James, how many galleons do you have on you right now?" he asked. James let go of Lily's hand and sat down with Fred and Aston. Albus and Hugo slipped in quietly and shut the door behind them. James beckoned for Albus to come and join him.

They talked about Zonko's products and pranks they planned to pull that year. Meanwhile, Lily and Hugo speculated about the Sorting.

"Rose says all you have to do is put on a hat and it'll say what House you're in," Hugo said.

"That can't be it, that's too dull!" Lily groaned. "James said you have to duel the Headmistress.

"But I don't know magic!" Hugo cried. "What spells am I supposed to know!?"

He frantically pulled _The Standard Book of Spell, Grade One_ out of his trunk. He bent low over the book and began to read, his blue eyes darting back and forth across the page. Lily watched him, amused, until Albus tapped on her shoulder.

"What did you say to him?" he asked. "He's never read that hard before."

"I said that during the Sorting, we had to duel the Headmistress," Lily responded.

"Why'd you tell him that?!" Albus demanded.

"James said that that is how you get Sorted."

"That's not true. You put on the Sorting Hat and it tells you what House you belong in."

"Oh, well that's not exciting at all!"

"Get your robes on, we'll be at Hogwarts in about ninety minutes"

Lily smiled. '_Finally_!' she thought. Suddenly, the compartment door slid open. Rose stepped inside, wearing black robes.

"There you are Hugo!" she said. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

Rose frowned when she saw what Hugo was doing.

"What _are_ you doing?" she asked.

Hugo murmured something about duelling the Headmistress, and then returned to his book. Rose moved forward and snatched the book out of his hands.

"That's ridiculous!" she exclaimed. "Who told you that?"

"Lily."

Rose turned to lecture Lily, but Albus stopped her.

"James told her that, go yell at him," he told her.

"I should have known!" Rose fumed. "Hugo, get your robes on."

Lily left to find the witch who pushed the snack trolley, and when she returned, a Chocolate Frog in her hand, she nearly burst out laughing. James and Rose were having a row. Albus, Fred, Hugo, and Aston were no where in sight. James towered over Rose, his face red. Rose looked up at James defiantly. Before they started to attack each other, Lily stepped in between them.

"Rose, you're overreacting! It was a tiny little joke, and Hugo wouldn't even have gotten hurt!" Lily said.

Rose bowed her head. "You're right Lily. Sorry James."

"Apology accepted," James nodded, and turned to look out the window. Forests and mountains were passing by.

"How come you're not with Scorpius?" Lily questioned Rose.

"Some of his Slytherin friends wanted to talk to him," Rose answered.

"Why are you friends with Scorpius?"

"He's a lot nicer than you think."

Albus, Hugo, Fred, and Aston came bursting in, clearly excited.

"There was a fight!" Hugo exclaimed.

"A Slytherin was knocked out cold!" Aston grinned.

"Who was fighting?" James asked, interested.

"Damian Goreham and Scorpius Malfoy," Fred answered.

"Who was knocked out?" Rose asked worriedly.

"Goreham was," Albus replied.

Rose left the compartment swiftly. Lily and James followed her. When they reached the scene, Lily gasped. A muscular, dark haired boy was sprawled out on the floor, eyes closed. Blood was trickling down his chin and dripping to the floor. Scorpius was standing over him, wand out, with a confused look on his face. Rose rushed to Scorpius.

"What happened?" she asked.

"He called you a Mudblood, I couldn't let that slide" Scorpius said as he pocketed his wand.

"How'd you knock him out Malfoy?" James asked, mildly impressed. "He's a fifth year."

"I-I don't know," Scorpius answered. He was biting his lip. Rose hugged him.

"Even though what you did was wrong, I'm glad you defended me," she smiled.

"What happened here?"

Lily turned around to see who the voice belonged to. A plump, middle aged witch who she recognized as the trolley witch was hurrying to them, wand out.

"Malfoy here knocked this bloke out," James explained, pointing to Scorpius. "Goreham called my cousin a Mudblood, and Malfoy defended her."

The trolley witch kneeled over Goreham and muttered an incantation. Goreham stirred, then sat up.

"You!" he shouted, looking at Scorpius. Scorpius backed away.

"Now, now, there is no need to fight. You, come with me. I have to make sure you're okay," the trolley witch said, gesturing to Goreham. Reluctantly, Goreham stood up and followed her. When they were out of sight, James turned to Scorpius.

"Malfoy, that was a pretty decent thing you did for my cousin," he said. "You seem like a cool bloke to have around."

James stuck out his hand. Scorpius gratefully took it and they shook hands. From then on, James and Scorpius were friends.

Albus, Fred, and Aston were astonished when they saw who returned with James, Lily and Rose. James explained what happened. As he finished the story, the trained stopped. Lily hadn't realized that the train was slowing down.

"We're here!" she shouted with joy. She and Hugo followed Albus, Rose, Scorpius, Fred, and Aston off the train. As she breathed in the cool, night air she heard a deep voice shout "Firs' years over here! Firs' years!"


	3. The Sorting

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A/N: Chapter three is here! Sorry for the lateness, I was out of town. Read and review please. Chapter four will be up soon.

Summary: The Potter and Weasley children are at Hogwarts. Everything was fine until horrible things started to happen. Muggleborns and purebloods alike are attacked. Who is behind it all? James, Albus, Rose, Lily, Hugo, and Scorpius are determined to find out

Disclaimer: Rubeus Hagrid, Minerva McGonnagal, Neville Longbottom, Scorpius Malfoy, and all the Weasleys and Potters all belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Three: The Sorting

Lily watched as James turned to see a very large man with a bushy, greying beard and long, greying hair.

"Hagrid!" he grinned. "Good to see you!"

"Good ter see you too, James," Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, greeted.

James led Lily up to him.

"Hi, Hagrid!" she said, looking up at him. James and his siblings have known Hagrid since they were little. He visited the Potters nearly every summer.

"Hello Lily! Hugo is already waitin' in that boat, yeh should go sit with him," Hagrid said, pointing to a boat. Lily skipped to the boat and carefully climbed inside.

"I'll see you later Hagrid," Lily heard James say. She watched James turn to join Fred, Aston, and Albus in their carriage. Hagrid had waved goodbye to him, and turned toward the first years.

"Yeh lot ready then? 'Kay, let's go."

Hagrid led the first years across the lake. Lily, Hugo, and a girl named Eryne Lovell rowed behind him and chattered.

"What house do you want to be in? I hope I'm in Gryffindor." Eryne said.

"I want to be in Gryffindor too. My parents and both of my brothers were in Gryffindor," Lily replied.

"Me too," Hugo agreed.

They continued their conversation until they heard the "Ooo's" and "Ah's" of their fellow first years. Lily looked up and saw the castle. It was enormous. Towers rose up into the sky. Thousands of windows looked down at the lake and the grounds. The front doors were open, and light spilled out onto Hogwarts's dark grounds. A silhouetted person was standing in the doorway, obviously waiting for Hagrid and the first years.

Lily's boat unexpectedly shook, and came to a stop. She tore her eyes away from the castle and realized that they had reached the shore. Hagrid was already standing there; his large boat was tied to a peg.

"C'mon over here!" he called.

Lily, Hugo, and Eryne carefully stepped off the boat and on to the land. Eryne tied the boat to a peg and Lily and Hugo followed her to the join the line forming in front of Hagrid. As soon as everyone had joined the line, Hagrid turned and guided them to the entrance.

"Evenin', Moira," he said.

"Good evening, Hagrid," replied a woman with long crimson robes, grey eyes, and chin length auburn hair, "I shall take them from here."

Hagrid grunted, and with a wink to the first years, he walked into the Great Hall.

"What's the Sorting like?"

"My sister told me that you have to fight off a chimera."

"I hope I'm in Ravenclaw, my whole family was in it."

Lily heard the eager whispers of her classmates around her.

"Silence, please!" the professor ordered. She peered at them beneath her glasses, and smiled.

"You will address me as Professor Rinnew," she said. She gone on to explain about the four Houses, and about how she hoped that each and every one of them would be an asset to which ever House they were Sorted in.

"Now, follow me in an orderly fashion," she said. She turned and the first years followed her silently. She opened the large doors that led into the Great Hall, and led the first years inside. Lily took the sight in. There were four long tables, one draped in red and gold, one in green and silver, one in blue and bronze, and the last in yellow and black. Gryffindor's table, Slytherin's table, Ravenclaw's table, and Hufflepuff's table. A fifth table, draped in white, was placed lengthwise at the end of the Hall, and that was the staff's table. In front of the staff's table sat a stool, and on that stool sat a hat, a dirty, frayed, patched, pointed hat.

Professor Rinnew briskly walked to the stool. She reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out a long piece of parchment. She then stepped back and waited quietly, staring at the hat. The student fidgeted in their seats and whispered to their neighbours. They all stared at the hat. The hat twitched, and a rip on its brim opened, and started to sing.

"_Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find,

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting hat

And I can cap them all!

There's nothing in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart.

You might belong in Hufflepuff

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil.

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've ready of mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind.

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your true friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (Though I have none)

For I'm the Thinking Cap!"

Everybody burst into applause. As the clapping died down, Professor Rinnew cleared her throat.

"When I call your name," she said. "Put on the hat and sit on the stool. When the Sorting Hat has called out your House, go to your new House table."

She looked down at the piece if parchment and called out, "Aber, Ella!"

A terrified looking girl with short, brown hair sat on the stool and put on the hat. After a couple of second, it shouted, "Ravenclaw!"

The Ravenclaws cheered and whooped as Ella joined their table.

As the Sorting continued, Lily pondered about her future House.

_'Not Slytherin, I'm not like them at all,'_ she thought. _'But I could be in Hufflepuff, I think I'm patient, just, and loyal.'_

Professor Rinnew's voice interrupted her thoughts.

__

"Mira, Violet!"

__

A girl with short, curly, blonde hair sat on the stool and placed hat on her head.

__

"Gryffindor!" it shouted. 

Lily watched her hurry over to the Gryffindor table, which was clapping and cheering, and sit beside Eryne.

_'I will definitely be in Gryffindor though,' _Lily concluded confidently.

"Mirvan, Gareth!" Professor Rinnew called. A boy with shaggy, black hair approached the stool, put on the hat. It immediately announced, "Slytherin!"

The Slytherins clapped and whooped as Gareth sat down.

Lily was lost in her thoughts while the rest of the first years were Sorted. As she was imagining what classes would be like, someone poked her back. She turned around.

"Lily, it's your turn!" Hugo whispered. Lily stumbled out of line and took the hat. She put it on and sat on the stool, nervously waiting for the Hat's decision.

_'You would do very well in Hufflepuff, yes you would. Loyal, kind, patient, you have all the right qualities,_' it said.

_'But I want to be with my family!' _she cried.

_'Gryffindor? Hm, you are brave, and nerve, yes, you have plenty of nerve. Very well then, Gryffindor!' _the hat replied, shouting the last bit out to the rest of the school. Lily smiled happily as she took a seat in between Albus and James. James thumped her on the back enthusiastically and Albus repeatedly congratulated her. Rose and Fred hurried over from farther down the table. Rose hugged her, while Fred gave her thumbs up and a grin.

As Hugo joined them and was properly congratulated, Fred turned to James.

"James, we'd better warn her," Freddie said.

"Definitely!" James agreed, nodding.

"Warn me about what?" Lily asked.

"Certain teachers," Fred replied.

"One has a grudge with us," James added. "And the other plain hates everybody."

"Who?" Lily questioned.

James pointed to a male teacher with long, black hair and brown eyes. He was lean and pale.

"That's Professor Shadowmeir. He teaches Potions," he said. "He hates everybody."

Fred pointed to a female teacher with long, black hair, dark eyes, and a prominent chin.

"That is Professor Vane, she teaches Charms. I don't know why she hates us Weasleys, and you Potters," he explained.

"The Headmistress is Professor McGonnagall, she's the one in the ruby robes, and her hair is completely grey," James continued.

"You already know Neville and Hagrid, and Professor Rinnew, she teaches Transfiguration," he added.

"That slim, blue eyed, brown haired teacher is Professor Syphare. Wait'll you have him, he's the best. He teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts," Fred grinned. "And the teacher with short, wavy, blonde hair and brown eyes is the History of Magic teacher, Professor Fair."

As James and Fred were pointing out the teachers to Lily, food had appeared on the table. Lily had chewed on a piece of chicken as she listened to Fred and James. Suddenly, the food vanished and Professor McGonnagall stood up.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Before I send you to bed there are a few things you must know. The Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students, no exceptions. Magic should not be used in the corridors, and last, but not least, Quidditch trials will be held two weeks from now. Contact your team's Quidditch Captain if you would like to try out. And now, off to bed you go!"

A prefect led Gryffindor's first years to the Fat Lady.

"Password?" she asked.

"Albus Dumbledore," the prefect said. The portrait swung open and the first years climbed through the hole in the wall. The girls climbed a staircase up to the girl's dormitories. Lily followed Eryne, Ausria Delrue, Violet Mia, and Mia Fener to the top of the tower. Lily crawled into the bed by her trunk and immediately fell asleep, fragments of dreams weaving in and out of her slumber.

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A/N: I know I used the Sorting Hat's song from the first book, but I can't make one up.


	4. Discoveries

**A/N: Gah! Sorry this is up so late! I've been really busy lately. I'm almost through with Chapter Five, and I'll put it up as soon as it's finished. I promise you I won't abandon this story. Please bear with the terrible formatting, I'm still trying to get used to Fanfiction's weird way of formatting. Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated.**

**Summary: The Potter and Weasley children are at Hogwarts. Everything was fine until horrible things started to happen. Muggleborns and purebloods alike are attacked. Who is behind it all? James, Albus, Rose, Lily, Hugo, and Scorpius are determined to find out**

**R.A.B - I know. I have a thing for cheesy lines, so expect them in my stories. XD**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and gang belong to the wonderful author, J.K. Rowling.**

**Chapter Four: Discoveries**

Albus slowly opened his eyes. Light poured into his dormitory through a window. Yawning, he sat up and stretched. Ripping the covers off him, he jumped out of bed and opened his trunk to grab a set of robes. He gasped.

Lying on the top of his robes was a silvery piece of cloth. He picked it up, feeling the silky fabric between his fingers.

"No way, it can't be!" he thought.

But it was. Pinned to the cloth was a letter.

_Dear Al, _

_ This is my old Invisibility Cloak. I've decided that now all three of my children are at Hogwarts, I should pass on some of my old things. I chose you to have the Cloak because you're the sensible one, Al. I know you will use it well. Don't tell your mother you got it. In fact, only tell family and close friends. It's best that the entire castle doesn't know._

_Love,_

_Dad_

He folded the note neatly and carefully placed it underneath all his things. Then he threw the cloak on over himself.

"It works!" Al whispered as he looked down at his feet. "I've got to tell James and Lily!"

He hid the cloak in his pillowcase, quickly put on his robes, and headed for the common room.

**ooooooooooooooooo**

James sat up and yawned. He crawled out of bed as he rubbed his eyes. Sitting on the floor he reached into his trunk and pulled out a set of robes. With it, a piece of old parchment and a piece of new parchment fluttered to the ground.

"Huh?" he said as he picked up the parchment. He examined the old one first. Finding nothing of interest, he let it fall into his lap and read the letter written on the new piece of parchment.

_Dear James,_

_Since all of my children are at Hogwarts, I decided to pass on some of my old things. There should be an old piece of parchment along with this one. Tap it with your wand and say, "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."_

James picked up the parchment and tapped it as he whispered "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

Almost immediately a map formed on the parchment.

"Blimey," he breathed as he realized what it was. Putting the map back down, he continued to read the letter.

_The map I've given you is a map of Hogwarts. It includes all of the secret passages. The map is called the Marauders Map, and the four Marauders are Pad foot (Sirius Black, my godfather), Worm tail (Peter Pettigrew, a filthy traitor, Moony (Remus Lupin, Ted's father) and Prongs (your grandfather and my father, James Potter). Use this map wisely, James. Don't tell anybody about it; only tell close friends and family. Don't tell your mother either; she'd kill me if she knew I gave it to you. I don't want the entire castle to know you've got it. To get rid of the map, tap it with your wand and say "Mischief managed." James, I gave this map to you because I know you will use it the best. Be responsible._

_Love,_

_Dad_

James shoved the letter into the bottom of his trunk and tapped the Marauders Map with his wand, whispering "Mischief managed."

He pulled on his robes, shoved the map into his pocket, and hurried down into the common room.

**oooooooooooooooooo**

Lily rose out of bed, eager and ready for the day. She opened her trunk and tilted her head in confusion. Lying on top of _The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1_ was a letter, and a small, furry pouch that could be hung around your neck. Lily picked up the letter and began to read.

_Dear Lily,_

_All of my children are at Hogwarts now, and I think now's the best time to pass on some of my old stuff. The pouch that you should have found in your trunk is a Moleskin pouch. You can put anything in it, and only you can take anything out of it. I got it from Hagrid for my seventeenth birthday. They're really rare. Use it to hold anything important or dear to your heart. Don't tell anyone you got it, except for family and close friends. Use it well._

_Love, _

_Dad_

Lily glanced around, making sure her dorm mates were still sleeping. Quietly, she folded the letter and hid it underneath her school stuff. She put on her robes and slipped the Moleskin pouch around her neck and hid it beneath her robes.

"James and Albus'll never believe this!" she thought as she silently slid out the door and descended the stairs. She saw James look up at her, from where he and Al were sitting at the table furthest from the dormitories. A few people lounged in the armchairs. He beckoned her to join them and she hurried to them and pulled up a chair.

"Guess what Dad gave me!" Lily whispered, excited. "A Moleskin pouch!"

She pulled it out from under her robes and explained what it did.

"Dad gave me an Invisibility Cloak!" Albus whispered. "I'd show it to you right now, but Dad doesn't want anyone but family and close friends knowing that I have it."

"He told me that too," added James. He showed them the Marauders Map. "This is a map of the castle, and the grounds. Check it out!" He hid that map from view of everyone except his siblings. He tapped with his wand and muttered "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

Lily watched in awe as a map formed on the parchment. She saw tiny dots moving across the page, each one labelled.

After a minute or so, James tapped it again and whispered, "Mischief managed." James pocketed it, while Lily hid her pouch.

Fred came hurrying over.

"What's with you lot?" he asked. James, Albus, and Lily explained about the letters and items in hushed tones. Fred stared at them with envy.

"You are so lucky," he said in awe. "C'mon, let's go to breakfast."

"You can't tell anybody though," Albus said as he stood up.

"Tell anybody what?" a voice asked. Lily whipped around to see Aston.

"N-nothing," she stammered quickly. Shrugging, Aston followed them out of the portrait hole.

"Hogsmeade weekend's in seven weeks." Aston informed them.

"Brilliant! I need to visit Zonko's!" James exclaimed.

"I wish I could go," Lily said wistfully.

"Maybe you can," James said. He glanced at Albus.

"No way, James," Albus replied. "Sorry Lily."

Aston looked at them both questioningly as they entered the Great Hall. A prefect trotted over to them and said, "Here are your timetables."

He thrust them into Fred's hands and walked away. Fred handed them out as they sat at the Gryffindor table. Lily grabbed a piece of buttered toast an d ate silently. James peered at it over her shoulder.

"You have Herbology first today!" he exclaimed.

"That's Nev- er, Professor Longbottom's class, isn't it? Lily smiled. Herbology with Neville seems like a good start to her first day at Hogwarts. As she grabbed another piece of toast. Rose came over, looking grim.

"There's been an attack," she informed them, slapping the Daily Prophet on the table. Lily looked at the tiny article Rose was pointing at.

_Yesterday, in Diagon Alley at approximately 11:45p.m., a group of four men cornered and attacked thirty-eight year old Seamus Finnigan. Finnigan managed to Apparate before any real harm was done, though he is quite shaken. _

_The men are about six feet in height, and they wore long, black robes. Their cloaks were black and the hoods were drawn up over their heads. They were wearing crimson masks. If you know the whereabouts of these men, please contact the Auror office at the Ministry of Magic._

"Where've I heard that name before?" Albus asked, furrowing his brow.

'_Seamus Finnigan_,' Lily thought. '_I recognize that name too.' _

She suddenly remembered a conversation she had with her father last summer.

_"Dad, what if my dorm mates don't like me?" Lily had asked._

_Chuckling, her father had said, "Lily, trust me. Your dorm mates will love you."_

_"Who were yours?"_

_"Well, there was Uncle Ron. And Neville, you know him. Oh, and there was Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan."_

"He was one of Dad's dorm mates!" Lily cried out.

"Oh yeah!" Albus remembered. "I wonder why he was attacked."

Before they could continue their discussion, Hugo interrupted.

"Classes are starting in five minutes!" he exclaimed. Everyone got up and left the Great Hall, each heading toward their first class of the day.

Lily and Hugo arrived, panting, at Greenhouse One just as class started. Professor Longbottom smiled warmly at them and gestured for them to sit down with the other students.

"As some of you may know, I am Professor Longbottom. I am here to teach you about magical plants, fungi, seeds, and more."

Lily ignored the rest of his speech and examined the greenhouse. Out of all the greenhouses, this one was the safest. Plants of all shapes, sizes, and colors filled the whole place. They were stacked in pots on shelves by the walls and planted in the ground near the area where the students worked. The floor was covered in thick layer soft dirt. She directed her attention back to Neville.

"Today, you'll be transferring Bouncabulbs from the pots to the ground," he said, showing them large, tennis ball sized plants with small leaves. They were planted in large, rectangular pots. Six Bouncabulbs were in each pot. Neville grabbed one, and gently wriggled it out of the pot. Once free, the plant started to twist and turn in his hand, trying to escape. Neville kept hold of his though, and quickly planted it in the dirt. Only a few of its leaves poked out of the dirt.

"Be careful, they are rather hard to hold on to," Neville said.

Lily and Hugo spent the rest of the class trying to catch the rubbery plants. By the time class was over, they were covered in dirt. Neville had dismissed class early to give them time to wash up before Charms.

Professor Vane had given them a quick introduction to Charms, and then set them to a task. They were to enchant a piece of parchment to float above their heads. She showed them the correct pronunciation and wand movement of the charm, then paired them and stood back to see how they would do.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Lily cried, waving her wand. The parchment twitched, and lay still. Lily sighed, and Hugo stepped forward to try. With a swish and a flick of his wrist, he carefully said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The parchment rose, slowly but surely, above his head. Lily grinned and watched it float higher and higher and higher, until it bumped against the ceiling and fell, landing a few feet away from her. Professor Vane hurried over to inspect.

"Hugo!" she scolded. "You should have better control than that! Try again and land it here."

As she said the last word, she conjured a target and placed it on Hugo's desk. His ears turned red as Lily's hair. As Professor Vane left to watch the other students, Lily said angrily, "That's so unfair! You managed to do the spell right the first try, and she _still _found something wrong with it! It's like she's trying to find something wrong with us!"

"This time, I won't make a mistake," he replied, brandishing his wand.

The rest of the day went by quickly. Lily enjoyed every minute of it, except for Charms. She told James and Albus about Professor Vane after dinner in the common room, and James exclaimed, "I told you she hated us!"

"I wonder why?" Albus thought out loud.

"I hope she does something stupid and gets sacked!" Lily said furiously. James laughed.

"I'm positive she was attending Hogwarts while Dad and Mum were, I'll write them a letter," Albus said. Lily nodded.

"Good idea, why didn't you do it before?" she asked.

"I don't know, I never thought much about Vane," he replied. With that, Albus stood up and retreated to his dorm to write the letter. Lily shoved her incomplete Charms homework in her bag and climbed the staircase to her dorm. Fingering her father's pouch, she fell asleep.


End file.
